2.  The dental hygiene profession can provide many opportunities including being a health care professional, the rewards of keeping people healthy, a flexible work schedule, a variety of professional settings, the opportunity to work nation wide of abroad, pleasant surroundings, career potential, active income and professional stability

3.  Dental hygienists use an assortment of different tools to complete their tasks. Hand and rotary instruments and ultrasonic devices are used to clean and polish teeth, including removing calculus, stains, and plaque. Hygienists use x-ray machines to take dental pictures, and sometimes develop the film. They may use models of teeth to explain oral hygiene, perform root planning, or apply cavity-preventative agents such as fluorides

4. Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other preventive dental care. They examine patients teeth and gums, recording the presence of diseases or abnormalities.

5.  Some States also allow hygienists to place and carve filling materials, temporary fillings, and remove sutures; and smooth and polish metal restorations. Dental hygienists also help patients develop and maintain good oral health. They will explain the relationship between diet and oral health or inform patients how to select toothbrushes and show them how to brush and floss their teeth.

8. Be serious about safety!  Important health safeguards include strict adherence to proper radiological procedures and the use of appropriate protective devices when administering anesthetic gas. Dental hygienists also wear safety glasses, surgical masks, and gloves to protect themselves and patients from infectious diseases.

9. Median hourly earnings of dental hygienists are $30.19 and can go up to $40 Earnings vary by location, employment setting, and years of experience. Dental hygienists may be paid on an hourly, daily, salary, or commission basis. Benefits vary substantially by practice and experience

10.  Dental hygienists are projected to be one of the 30 fastest growing occupations. Populations growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists. Opportunities for part- time work and flexible schedules are common. More than half of all dental hygienists work part time

11. The demand for dental services will grow because of population growth, older people increasingly retaining more teeth, and a growing focus on preventative dental care.

13.  Schools offer laboratory, clinical, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, radiography, histology (the study of tissue structure), periodontology (the study of gum diseases), pathology, dental materials, clinical dental hygiene, and social and behavioral sciences.  Most dental hygiene programs grant an associate degree, although some also offer a certificate, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree.

15. Dental hygienists should work well with others because they work closely with dentists and dental assistants as well as dealing directly with patients. Hygienists also need good manual dexterity, because they use dental instruments within a patient’s mouth, with little room for error.